Industrial Scale Manufacturing Carbon Nanotubes Supported Reverse Osmotic Desalination Membrane

Abstract

Systems for manufacturing reverse osmotic desalination membranes are described. The system is for the industrial scale manufacturing of carbon nanotubes supported reverse osmotic desalination membranes. The system overcomes several technological challenges and develops new membranes, improving aspects of membrane manufacturing and performance.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of manufacturing a multilayer membrane comprising,
 depositing a plurality of material layers upon a substrate comprised of a first material;   wherein the substrate is contained within a voluminous vessel configured for sequentially filling and draining the vessel with a plurality of solutions;   sequentially filling the vessel with the plurality of solutions;   sequentially draining the vessel with the plurality of solutions;   holding each of the plurality of solutions within the vessel for a solution dwell time;   wherein a first solution is a mixture comprising at least a second material suspended within the first solution that is configured to settle out of the mixture depositing the second material upon the substrate from the settling of the second material suspended in the first solution over a first solution dwell time;   reacting a second solution and a third solution at an interface;   wherein the second solution and the third solution form a bilayer interface and a polymerization reaction occurs at the bilayer interface forming a third material at the interface over a reaction dwell time; and   wherein draining the second solution from the vessel after the reaction dwell time deposits the third material upon the substrate.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first material is polyethersulfone. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second material is high-pressure carbon monoxide single-walled carbon nanotubes. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the third material is polyamide. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first solution is a mixture of a high-pressure carbon monoxide single-walled carbon nanotube powder and an aqueous solution. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the aqueous solution comprises Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second solution is a m-phenylenediamine aqueous solution. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the third solutions solution is a trimesoyl chloride hexane solution. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the mixture is configured so that a significant portion of the second material settles on the substrate during the first solution dwell time and the first solution is drained after the first solution dwell time. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second solution and the third solution are each configured so that a reaction occurs at the bilayer interface during the reaction dwell time and the second solution is drained after the reaction dwell time. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein an approximately 10 nm nanofilm forms at the bilayer interface. 
     
     
         12 . A membrane comprising,
 a plurality of layers configured in a multi-layer structure;   wherein the plurality of layers comprise a first material, a second material, and high-pressure carbon monoxide single-walled carbon nanotubes;   wherein one of the plurality of layers is a substrate layer comprising the first material and configured to bond to a subsequent layer;   wherein at least one of the plurality of layers consists of a network high-pressure carbon monoxide single-walled carbon nanotubes; and   wherein each of the plurality of layers is configured such that a reverse osmosis process can be performed through the membrane.   
     
     
         13 . The membrane of  claim 12 , wherein the first material is polyethersulfone, the second material is polyamide. 
     
     
         14 . The membrane of  claim 12 , wherein the high-pressure carbon monoxide single-walled carbon nanotubes have a diameter from approximately 0.6 nm to 1.2 nm. 
     
     
         15 . The membrane of  claim 12 , wherein the network of high-pressure carbon monoxide single-walled carbon nanotubes is configured for at least one of: reduced surface roughness of at least one of the plurality of layers, reduced area of pores of at least one of the plurality of layers, and support at least one of the plurality of layers. 
     
     
         16 . The membrane of  claim 12 , wherein the reverse osmosis process is configured for over 98% salt rejection at under 250 psi. 
     
     
         17 . A device comprising,
 at least one membrane comprising a network of high-pressure carbon monoxide single-walled carbon nanotubes and a multi-layer structure consisting of layers of at least a first material, a second material, and a third material and   the membrane is configured such that a reverse osmosis process can be performed through the membrane.   
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 17 , wherein the first material is polyethersulfone, the second material is high-pressure carbon monoxide single-walled carbon nanotubes and the third material is polyamide. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 17 , wherein one of the plurality of layers is a substrate layer configured to receive the network of high-pressure carbon monoxide single-walled carbon nanotubes, and the network of high-pressure carbon monoxide single-walled carbon nanotubes is configured to provide support for a subsequent layer. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 17 , wherein the reverse osmosis process is configured for over 98% salt rejection at under 250 psi. 
     
     
         21 . A method of manufacturing a device comprising,
 depositing a plurality of material layers upon a substrate comprised of a first material; and   sequentially exposing the substrate to a plurality of fluids;   wherein exposing the substrate to a plurality of fluids deposits material layers upon the substrate;   wherein at least one material layer is formed from a settling of a second material from a first fluid; and   at least one material layer is formed from a polymerization reaction at a bilayer interface of at least two fluids and the bilayer interfacial polymerization layer is brought into contact with an other material layer.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the first material is polyethersulfone. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the first fluid is a mixture of a high-pressure carbon monoxide conversion single-walled carbon nanotube powder and an aqueous solution. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the aqueous solution is Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the plurality of fluids comprises at least a trimesoyl chloride hexane solution and an m-phenylenediamine aqueous solution. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the bilayer interfacial polymerization reaction occurs between the trimesoyl chloride hexane solution and the m-phenylenediamine aqueous solution. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the at least one material layer formed from the polymerization reaction is brought into contact with the other material layer by draining at least one of the plurality of fluids, depositing the interface layer onto the other material layer. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the at least one layer formed from a polymerization reaction is brought into contact with the other material layer by passing the other material layer through the interface. 
     
     
         29 . An apparatus configured for the manufacturing of multi-layer membrane devices comprising, a voluminous vessel configured:
 to contain, fill, and discharge fluids;   with a plurality of inlets, at least one outlet; and   with a planer interior surface for a substrate to be affixed upon.   
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein the plurality of inlets are further configured to fill the vessel from at least a first, a second, and a third point distal from the planer interior surface, and at least one point is located proximal to a bilayer interface formed from filling the vessel with at least two fluids. 
     
     
         31 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein the outlet is configured for the draining of the fluid proximal to the planer interior surface. 
     
     
         32 . The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein at least one inlet is further configured with a plurality of orifices such that the plurality of orifices discharge fluid in a plane distal from the planer interior surface 
     
     
         33 . The apparatus of  claim 32 , wherein the plurality of orifices are configured contiguously on an inner surface of the vessel.